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Rite: Greater Mourning
Level Five(PGtG) The martyred hero represents all that is good and righteous to the cause. Unlike the private and intimate Lesser Rite of Mourning, the Greater Rite of Mourning is an elaborate and formal event dedicated to full-scale hero worship. There must be at least 10 participants in addition to the ritemaster. The Greater Rite of Mourning serves a dual purpose. First of all it empowers the chosen cause of the ritemaster and the participants, strengthening their resolve and ability to succeed in their struggle. Second, it bestows great posthumous renown to the honored, strengthening his or her memory and spiritual essence. As with the lesser version og this rite, the honoree may appear or even become and ancestor-spirit as a result of the worship given during this ritual. Due to the great power of such a rite if well performed, and the difficulty in assembling such large numbers of participants, rites like these are not common except during times of great struggle. The Greater Rite of Mourning is performed only once. The Rite usually commences with the calling to order by the ritemaster. This is followed by a chanting recital of the fundamentals of the honored hero's career, struggle and death, and its relevance to the struggle at hand. Following is a moment of silent meditation in honor of the deceased. The rite master then declares the different then declares the different virtues of the hero, while offering symbolic sacrifices in the deceased's name. This leads in to a common chant, where the ritemaster leads the participants in calling to the hero to bless them with his virtues and aid them in finishing his noble struggle. At this point the deceased may or may not appear as an apparition in order to bless them in person. The song flows naturally into a chanting “war speech' ny the ritemaster, restating the purpose of their gathering and the necessity of their noble struggle. If delivered properly, the speech whips the participants into a proper mood, and many Greater Rite of Mourning has been followed by a bloody and heroic attack against the enemies of the People. System: The ritemaster, who must be of a rank at least equal to the number of participants divided by 10, makes a Charisma + Rituals roll, difficulty 10 minus the rank of the honored hero. The difficulty is further decreased by one for every 10 participants. One success has no other effect than an Honor point to all involved. Two success grants the honored hero a point of renown for each 10 participants, plus an additional number of Renown equal to the ritemaster's rank, to be distributed to the categories the hero was honored for. The participants all regain lost Willpower, as well as a point of spent Rage or Gnosis (depending on the purpose of the rite), and gain two points of honor each. The ritemaster also receives a number of Honor points equal to the rank of the honored hero. Three successes grants three points of Honor to all participants, except for the ritemaster, who receives Renown equal to the rank of the honoree, plus a tenth the total number of participants. All participants also gain the use of one of the hero's abilities or Gifts for the struggle at hand. The hero being honored receives a point of renown for every five participants, in addition to the points gained from the ritemaster's rank. Four or Five success results in the participants gaining the use of two of the abilities of Gifts of the honored hero, and each participant regains two points of rage or Gnosis, or one of each. The ritemaster gains the use of an additional Gift. The hero has a 50% chance of actually appearing as an apparition, and gains the ritemaster's rank plus one for every five participants in Renown. With six or more successes the participants regain all lost Rage or Gnosis. The hero is guaranteed to appear, and gains an additional five points of Honor Renown, as do the ritemaster. The Storyteller can opt to give the ritemaster or all the participants a point in the Ancestor background if he chooses. Supernatural bonuses granted by this rite, apart from temporary Renown awards or replenishment Rage and Gnosis, last for only one hour per success scored on the ritemaster's roll.